Use What You Got...

In her song, "Think," Aretha Franklin sings, "You gotta use what you got, to get what you want..." And that has caused me to think, and rethink some things. Using what you've got speaks not only to our natural strengths, but also to notions of stewardship. In our culture of consumerism and materialism, it is easy to go out and buy what you need to make something happen, instead of pooling your current resources to see how you can work with what you have. And so, those thoughts have inspired my post for today. Let me break this thing down...

What do you want, preacher?
I want a healthy, fit, strong, and curvy body...
I want a consistent fitness schedule...
I want to be able to chase our children around the house... (when God wills, don't go starting rumors)

What do you have, preacher?
I have an elliptical machine in my bedroom...
I have a lovely neighborhood...
I have three beautiful parks and a high-school track within a 5-minute drive...
I have two yoga mats...
I have a medicine ball...
I have a set of free weights...
I have resistance bands...
(and resistance tubes...)
I have Wii Fit...
I have a hula hoop...
I have arm hoops...
I have pilates, bellydancing, and gospel aerobics workout DVD's...
I have an iPad with a plethora of fitness apps:NikeTraining, Fitness Class, Ab Workout, MyNetDiary, etc...
I have a pink and cream Schwinn Cruiser to ride around the neighborhood..
I have a jump rope...
I have a Nike+ arm band...
I have a pool in the complex for use during the summer...
I have a cramp in my finger just from typing all of this...


So, what don't you have anymore?
Ok, so Aretha didn't sing that, but reflecting on all of the exercise equipment in the house has led us to cancel our gym membership. I suggested it, and hubby agreed. If I cannot reach my fitness goals with everything I have at my disposal (I'm sure there is something I left out), what good is a gym membership, especially if I don't use it? Sure, the classes are good, but now that I have Zumba DVD's, I can Zumba at home. In the past, I have successfully lost weight without a gym membership. In fact, I haven't used the gym consistently and successfully since I was 21 and actually enjoyed the meat-market feel of the gym. (You know what I'm talking about: the stares, the flirting by the free-weight machine, the dude who offers to train you just so he can get your number.) Well, I'm a grown woman now and I have everything that I need and desire at home (and I'm not just talking about exercise equipment.)

So, I'm planning to use what I got, to get what I want...

*this post could have easily been about clothes shopping as I struggle not to purchase a new dress for a wedding we are going to next weekend. I want to be beautiful, elegant, and tasteful. I've got a great dress already hanging in my closet. What's the issue? I've worn it, been photographed in it, had said photos posted to facebook and my blog, and I momentarily think my name is Beyonce so I cannot be photographed in the same dress twice. I hate the way celebrity culture has infiltrated my thinking. But thanks be to God for Princess Kate Middleton who has gracefully hit the repeat button...Use what you've got...